


A Kind Lie, A Brave Love

by OdinDark



Category: Fire Emblem Series
Genre: Falling In Love, First Kiss, M/M, Original Character(s), Please Don't Hate Me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-17
Updated: 2017-04-17
Packaged: 2018-10-20 06:45:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10657116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OdinDark/pseuds/OdinDark
Summary: It's not an everyday thing to find a soul that resonates with you so deeply. Even less, a partner in the shadows of their superiors, whose greatness ominously looms above both. But to discover love in your nemesis is much more unusual, or that's what they say. Love and hate are two sides of the same coin, after all.





	A Kind Lie, A Brave Love

**Author's Note:**

> Erm... This was initially supposed to be a quick draft of how two of my OCs were going to establish a relationship, but eventually turned into something, well, bigger. Nonetheless, I hope it appears to be well composed to the eyes of many! I blame my good friends for driving me to create this...

How would it be to live a life of bloodshed and disgrace? Shackled to a harbor where war is the only sign you descry around no matter where you look? Where you live in constant fear that your home is one night sieged by the enemy, your walls leveled and your belongings reduced to cinders with the bodies of your loved ones lying inert on the soil? Though we hope for propitious days, after shedding a thousand tears, yesterday’s sorrow constantly approaches. And while the moon shimmers blue still, by dawn, to scarlet hue it shall turn. That’s not what the citizens of either of the strongest empires in the main continent of this particular realm fought for. It’s far from all that, actually.

Both sides realized they had misplaced their convictions before it was too late to bemoan over colossal losses, though. They had been blindly following orders of their despotic leaders whose greed and sickening ambition consumed every inch of what once used to be humility inside them. Stopped and delivered punishment in accordance to their actions, the thrones lied empty now, waiting for their successors to take them with crown of gold and scepter of silver. Prince Glenn of Aarvgaard and Prince Cel of Sigur Rós were the pair who awaited ascension, while their people cavorted excitedly on the streets, in regale of the wondrous future that they believed awaited them. What an auspicious day for both kingdoms.

Though unfathomable at first glance by most, Prince Glenn and Prince Cel set their differences aside in pursuit of a prosperous future between both nations where not a single red tear would be spilled in vain. Their siblings, also royalty and once envenomed by the same venom, blinded by the same obscurity, agreed, albeit with initial reluctance, to follow the footsteps of their eldest sibling. Princess Sarissa and Princess Isei both worked on their speech and customs, brushing a pinch of salt against their wounds every so often, but they understood well enough there were no vile intentions between both. Princess Leah was, for one, saddened because her big sister Sarissa would no longer play as much with her, but Princess Fran was there to poke at her shoulder every time Leah was found playing by herself with her dolls, ones she formerly had refused to share with the latter, but eventually gave in to her charms and quickly became good peers. But where could Prince Vayne be? Prince Leif was older than Fran, but younger than Isei. He admired Cel, his older brother, as well as the rest of his siblings, but he never found himself interacting much with them. Vayne? He cared enough, but never showed it.

Eventually both the empires of Aarvgaard and Sigur Rós, now under the reign of King Glenn of the former and King Cel of the latter, establish and announce an official alliance between them to overthrow their true enemy and the entirety of its colony, their female siblings now backing up one another, but what about the missing pair? Vayne and Leiff are the younger male princes of both empires, Aarvgaard and Sigur Rós respectively, and by consequence, they now bump into each other more often than Leiff would tolerate. Leiff is a special case. He's a guy who's never been too outspoken. You could say he's timid to a degree, but that's not really the case. He's spontaneous, his responses being often unpredictable, yet not in a bad nor good way. He's as gray as the mistier end of the spectrum gets. Vayne, on the other hand, is victim to his own hubris and boorishness, often portraying himself as the obnoxious child who was bitten in the rear by puberty-induced mood swings. Vayne, however, displays playful and cheeky behavior whenever around Leiff, taking advantage of his lack of action and initiative, deeming him feeble prey to his inane derisions.

Throughout their friendship, Vayne finds the mockery he forces Leiff to endure to be pleasant, and on the contrary, Leiff grows fatigued by his incessant harassment, and begins mustering up courage to stand up to Vayne. Vayne finds Leiff's developments to be oddly satisfying, and continues taunting him carelessly until the day Leiff finally draws a line between both of them. Leiff, being selfless as he is however, ends up forgiving Vayne's antics at the display of the slightest hint of apologetic behavior presented by the latter. Vayne then quits his tormentous ways, downgrading his mockery to a much lesser grade, one that didn't precisely vex Leiff beyond comprehension.

Leiff finds himself getting accustomed to Vayne's avant-garde behavior, his modus operandi having suffered drastic changes. This as demonstrated by the way Leiff blushes every time Vayne sneaks behind him to slither his hand into his pocket and poach the few coins he keeps with himself in case the harsh weather calls for ice cream. Leiff commences pursuit and Vayne laughs as he effortlessly runs away, alarming every unit present in the castle. Even though he doesn't realize it yet, he finds Vayne's smile to send a swarm of butterflies to tussle and twist against his belly. Involuntarily, he smiles on the inside, unable still to parse his emotions correctly to adequately morph his visage into something more that resembles a positive emotion any better.

Or when Leiff has errands to attend with his siblings, Vayne finds himself sitting atop the edge of a tall tower. He kicks his legs into the air in quick pace and his grumpy gaze conveys that impervious sense of impatience that'd otherwise send him into an infuriating rampage. He didn't think he'd actually miss the company of the one he called a "fool" for being "too stupid to make proper sense out of anything he says." He leaps off and loiters through, setting his own precious time to cinders while awaiting the arrival of his... His what? What is he but a silly guy who he loves to tease? Nothing else, he hesitates to reassure himself.

But the sky turns orange and fades into a deep navy, twinkling stars being evoked in the vast cosmos as the receding light of the horizon bids its last farewell. He knows he'll be back soon, and he'll make a hell out of his life the second he lays eyes on his innocent frame. But the moment he hears King Cel's voice, he snaps out of it. His little bubble was popped, and he couldn't help but to beam at himself and dash his way to the main gates, taking a huge leap from beneath a cobblestone barricade to land right beside Leiff was, prompting the offbeat teen to petrify himself on spot. Oh, but he did, too. He had thoughtlessly hurled himself to the presence of the light of his life, the same "idiot" who was actually making his life seem a lot more interesting than it never was.

Vayne resorts to one last emergency measure. He snatches Leiff's bow and races his way out of their sight at the speed of an alarmed cat under vicious thunderstorm. His breathing hastens, and he doesn't even know what he's doing, running away from the sluggish dunce who'd lose a race to a snail riding a turtle by its shell. He stops when he reaches the garden's marble fountain. The gleaming waters reflecting the new moon on their crystalline waves. He slouched and pressed his palms against his knees, tossing Leiff's bow away like it was coated in physical guilt. He took a few moments to draw breath once and again, until he found himself stable and plopped himself to bask on the ashen pastures.

Leiff eventually catches up, his condition a lot worse than Vayne's. What did he expect? Vayne was a skilled ninja, and he wound up destroyed. But Leiff? Leiff would tire after walking up a few floors up by stairs. Leiff kneels before him, and lies cocooned next to Vayne, perspiring at a worrying rate and gathering oxygen like a fish out of the ocean. Vayne's limbs were all sprawled open, akin to how people lie on the snow to form a snowman, but Leiff arched his back and contracted his arms, raising his knees to himself. Vayne shot a glance at him, one a devastated Leiff returned, and Vayne smiled. He was relieved, knowing Leiff wouldn't lash out at him because of how selfless and forgiving he was. He wouldn't hold a prank like this against him, even if he wanted to.

Vayne eventually draws enough stamina to sit up, crossing his legs and sloping himself to check on Leiff, gently brushing the few loose strands of damp green hair that covered his beautiful hazel eyes. Vayne's gentle gaze was one Leiff alone had gotten to witness, but he didn't know how alien of an event this was. If he wasn't frowning, he was sulking. Vayne's days were unpleasant, miserable at most, but Leiff wasn't agile enough to comprehend that the source of his newfound happiness was him. But Vayne lost time no more, and helped Leiff sit up, now sitting beside one another.

Was it time to act? Vayne thought to himself, an entire discussion between the two opposing poles of his mind rolling out, while Leiff's head was as blank as brand-new rune, ready to receive a proper spell inscription by Daphne. Vayne acted on pure instinct, letting his head drop atop Leiff's shaky shoulder. His body was absurdly wasted in consequence of that pointless pursuit. Or was it pointless at all? Vayne shifted his head, pressing the tip of his nose against Leiff's shoulder, and closed his eyes to spend the rest of the moment in masquerade. His heart was, in fact, racing, and on the inside, he could feel a flaring combustion deflagrating every single one of his organs. His face boiled so much, a ripe tomato would pale in comparison, but Leiff reacted naturally, setting his palm on top of Vayne's shoulder, brushing his hair gently, albeit messily. His hand was shaking, and it felt cold. Leiff was as nervous as Vayne was, but he assumed he had no clue what that sentiment he experienced meant. He was slow like that, and odiously oblivious.

Vayne drew a large breath before chanting Leiff's name, thing that startled the other, but he directed his visage to meet Vayne's, eyes locking and gleaming under the wondrous moonlight. Vayne sighed, forfeiting the last drop of dignity that dwelled within him, and slanted himself forward to mash his lips against that of a confused Leiff, who folded his arms like that of a mantis, still deciding on whether he should wrap them around Vayne or hold his cheeks, because he was obviously not going to push him apart. Leiff enjoyed it as much as Vayne did, albeit with a huge metaphorical question mark hovering atop his skull. Vayne withdrew, but they were linked still by a fragile string between their generously agaped jaws.

After that magical moment, Leiff's inner flame finally awakened, and he realized what he had been feeling all along. If his detestable attitude made him feel something, it was love, and Vayne's demeaning epithets bestowed to him were nothing but odd but golden tokens of love that he was going to treasure for as long as life permitted them to. Vayne couldn't believe it, he had actually kissed the doofus he once belittled and spanked with sharp twig, but he was the only one who had ever made him feel as wild as he felt right then.

Unbeknownst to them, a wide-eyed pair of girls held their hands together, staring in awe and wonderment, and then they silently screeching into each other’s faces, taking small leaps in front of one another as they linked their fingers and shook their hands in celebration. Leah and Fran were definitely pleased by the outcome. Cel, as understanding and generous as he was, shot a gentle smile at them, walking then beside a scandalized Glenn, and gave him a firm pat on his back, bringing him back to his senses. Isei couldn't leave her trance, and had to be whispered directly into her ear by Sarissa to get her head out of the gutter. The royals were nothing but content with their siblings' indirect revelation, assuming Glenn's expression denoted approval, but decided to take their leave before it they were discovered.

The next morning, they were summoned by both Vayne and Leiff, who had important news to convey to them. Vayne proudly stood next to a terrified Leiff with a smug look on his visage, while the poor green-haired archer locked his eyes on his elder brother, who did nothing but pretend to be indifferent to his obvious trepidation. Vayne was the first to speak, and they knew he was going to ramble on for a few minutes before getting to the point. The rest of the royals, save for a paralyzed Leiff who sought for sandy tomb to lie flat and cold in, exchanged half a smile and a knowing look, because they knew, but at the same time, they were proud of their small boys, even Leah and Fran, because Vayne and Leiff were still their small boys despite being older. They hadn’t seen Vayne this content ever in their entire lives, and mesmerized by this extravaganza du Vayne, they feigned genuine surprise to the best of their ability, Glenn being the only one unable to appropriately convert thoughts into emotions and facial gestures, but a few pats on the back by Cel and a drilling glare courtesy of Sarissa were enough for him to cough his daze out.

But Vayne’s chipper mood lasted briefly around his siblings, and those of his lover, and everybody else who didn’t instill them in the first place. His boisterous and raspy laugh, deemed ghastly by many, was treat exclusive to Leiff’s ears, and Leiff’s gentle voice and fluid talk was also a perk for Vayne to delight himself with alone. They had seen the worst of each other already, and they kept venturing through their heart and mind in endless quest day by day. Vayne would be rough sometimes, pulling Leiff by the wrist and running to hurl himself against the piles of vermilion leaves that amassed themselves in autumn, and Leiff clung to his side after submerging in cloud of nuanced leaves, and kept him as close as he could, for he wanted that single moment to last an eternity and beyond.

From that day onwards, they embarked in numerous hunts of conquest. Vayne’s stealth and sharp combat instinct saving Leiff’s back many times, and Leiff’s keen eye and tour de force with his bow pierced the skulls of many knaves that menaced to injure his partner. The freedom that was their birthright, they exercised without looking back, and they would return home gravely injured, otherwise unscathed, but they knew they would return, for they weren’t alone, not anymore.

**Author's Note:**

> And that's it! I should begin working in something new with actual characters next time I do, so I can't guarantee any more OCs will make their debuts in my following stories. Odin Dark withdraws!


End file.
